St. Landry democrat., 1887-11-19
Copyrighted, 1871

| tally when your researches lead to the
study of majestic trees, beautiful flowers
and luscious fruit, but you may overlook
some of the more humble jewellers in the
realm of plants, humble and yet interest
ing. AS you walk through the wood,
across the field or in your garden, you
will see a small white eXcrescence, like a
button, protruding from the ground.
Pooh, a toad-stool! Yes, a toad stool or
mushroom, belonging first to the fungus
tribe, but owing allegiance to the vege-
! table kingdom. There are many kinds
! of fungi, so many that my space will
only permit me to touch upon few
more familiar varieties. Some fungi are
edible, nearly all are pretty, and all are
curious, but collectively not much can be
said to their credit. They are thieves
they rob the living of its substance and
| prey on its vitals. They are ghO-l- for
they prey also on the dead. In gloomy
caves on the timbers of ships on stately
trees, and on old dead logs this parasite
makes its home. The category of dis
eases to which we are liable men
tons fungus growth of flesh
and fungous tumOrs assailing our we'll
being. Quietly they come and swiftly,
these fungi. DR.. Schweinitz, a noted au
thority on fungi, records that black
smith, being suddenly called from his
shop, threw bar of iron, on which he
had been engaged, across his trough.
The next morning he was amazed to tiEd
growth of fungus attached to the bar
+ from which it had extended to some adj
| jacent wood. The growth was two feet
in length, and this growth had taken place
in twelve hours. No doubt your wife has
called you at times to share her dismay
at the sight of skim of white mold on
her preserves. Certainly you have found
your old boots covered with white sub
stance, in wet weather especially. You
say this is mold, a disagreeable substance
which has the knack of coming where it
is not wanted. Really it is a vegetable,
member of the fungus family. Put
some yeast in your dough and find in the
morning mass of light wholesome bread.
Who did this work? A lot of tiny fungi;
useful fungus thus contrasting favora-
ably with its mushroom kinsmen, the
wheat and oat rust, the ergot, the corn
smut and potato rot.
The most popular and well-known of
the fungus family is the mushroom.
Most of us have gone out, some damp,
warm morning, and gathered this deli
cate vegetable and an appetite in an old
pasture field. 1t is Of ancient lineage, the
mushroom. Pliny writes of it and it has
score of names. Its habitat is as wide
as its pedigree is long, for the SHOWS of
Boreal regions do not discourage its
growth, nor does the heat of the tropics
lessen its energy. With US the unculti-
waited mushroom is chiefly found in the
garden o, in old fields just after a
warm she Wer. Notice a full-grown
ring around the stalk about half way down
sion at the top. When young the pileus
was united to the stalk at this point, at
which time the plant resembled a white
button. AS maturity approached it broke
away and expanded. Turn the mushroom
upside down and you will see under this
top a multitude of pinkish gills, radiating
from the centre. On the surface of these
gills are the spores or reproductive ele-
ment of the plant, analogous to the seed
of weed or the nut of tree. 1t is not,
however, generally propagated from these
spores, but from spawn, the dry, thready
mass found at the base of the stock.
The mushroom grows in the gar
den, but better in a damp situation,
such as a cave. I read some time ago
that project was on foot to utilize an
abandoned mine near Chicago as grow
ing place for these eatables. AS
these fungi are delicious eating, it
is unfortunate that fear of nox-
ious qualities deters many from en-
loving them DR.. Badham in his work
on "Esculent Fungi writes as follows:
II have indeed grieved when l reflected
on the straitened conditions of the lower
orders this year, to see pounds innu-
merable of extempore beefsteaks grow
ing on our oaks in the shape of FFstuIina
bepdtica, with Agaracus tusipes to pickle, in
clusters under them; puff balls, which
some of our friends have compared
to sweetbreads, for the rich delicacy
of their unassisted flavor; Hydua, as good
as oysters, which they somewhat resem-
BILE in taste; Agarscus detlcaasus, remind
ing us of tender lamb kidneys; the beauti-
| lul CfGtUtuetto, Slo"AuS Wy tL0 uuSAC1, anu
no basket but our own to pick up few
specimens by the way; the sweet nutty-
favored Boletus, in vain calling himself
eduzss when there was none to believe
him." Does not such list make one
long to go marketing in the woods?
know how the Boletus tastes and the
CtautueIle, but the others are strangers to
my palate.
The unscientific man divides fungi
into two INSTRUMENTATION which
are wholesome, and toad-stools, which
are poisonous, whereas the botanist
knows them alike as toad-stools and de-
clares only few varieties are poisonous.
By the way, who was the unromantic,
gross soul that dubbed these plants
toad-atools? Look at a group in the
woods, close to some old oak. AS small
as a button, some of them, others
as large as a saucer; some drab-
colored like Quaker, another pale
yellow, then big fellow with pale
brown tinge, reminding one of nicely
cooked johnny cake; some of agreenish
hue, others pink and brick red: To think
of an ugly toad having such dainty fur
niture. Out on the thought Tables
| Nh